Sri Lankan business leaders meet Mark Malloch-Brown

Top Sri Lankan business personalities met Rt. Lord Mark Malloch-Brown at an intimate dinner event in Colombo on Thursday organised by the Horton Debate Society. 

Mark Malloch-Brown was hosted to a resplendent dinner at the Grand Gourmet restaurant on Horton Place in Colombo, with Ranjan Hulugalle, chairman of the society, presiding over the event.

 Among the guests and members were Rt. Sir Desmond de Silva, Rukman Senanayake, Ananda Atukorala, Mahen Weerasekara, Sheamali Wickramasingha, Hanif Yusuf, Prashan Nagendra, Anosha Subasinghe, Vinod Hirdaramani and Mack Gill.   

A former number two in the United Nations, Mark Malloch-Brown served in the British Cabinet and Foreign Office. He was Deputy Secretary-General of the UN under Kofi Annan, and Administrator of the UNDP.

He has been a Vice-Chairman of George Soros’ Investment Funds, as well as his Open Society Institute, a Vice President at the World Bank, and Vice-Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Speaking at the dinner event, he explained the international context of challenges that Sri Lanka faced and the rapidly evolving developments in Europe. He then took questions from the audience.   

On the boards of several companies and non-profits, Mark Malloch-Brown is the author of ‘The Unfinished Global Revolution’. In 2005 Time Magazine put him on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Hulugalle said the Horton Debate Society organises opportunities for Sri Lankans to interact with international personalities to promote networking and development of the Sri Lankan economy. 

The group ([email protected]) has organised several events this year with former and current prime ministers of developed countries, economists on the world stage, and members of the European Parliament. 

Several high profile international figures are expected to visit the island in coming months and further networking events would be held with them, the organisers said.